Americans Have ‘Green Guilt’ And Here Is What Causes It

Americans waste more food than any other country in the world, and that food waste is the number one cause of 'Green Guilt' in Americans.

Green Guilt is basically guilt felt over things that we do that hurt the environment.

The survey of over 1,000 people found that the average household throws out 470 pounds of food every year. It's the largest component in our nation's landfills.

Wasting food caused more green guilt than other causes for regret, like leaving the lights on when leaving a room and wasting water

Throwing away extra food also made people feel guiltier than not unplugging electronics that are not in use and not recycling.

Other habits that people felt guilty about were:

1. Forgetting to bring reusable bags to the store

2. Letting the water run while brushing teeth, washing dishes, etc.

3. Not buying CFLs (compact fluorescent light bulbs) or LEDs

4. Not sticking to an energy-efficient thermostat setting

5. Using chemical lawn or plant fertilizers

6. Not being careful about when or how long to water the grass